Wheelchair lifts have been proposed for many different kinds of vehicles, for instance, buses, vans and railroad passenger cars. However, the lifts in the prior art proposed for railroad cars typically utilize relatively complicated mechanical linkages, which tend to be relatively expensive and mechanically unreliable. In addition to their relative complexity, these prior art lifts require rather extensive protective means or shielding to ensure that a passenger is not subject to harm by exposed moving linkages. Further, the space required to store the linkages and to permit their movement during operation is substantial and may limit the size of the lift when such a device is to be mounted inside a standard railway car door opening.
Thus, a strong need exists for a wheelchair lift capable of raising and lowering wheelchairs into and out of vehicles such as railway cars without the use of relatively complicated and expensive linkages.
Additionally, a need exists for a novel wheelchair lift for vehicles, such as railway cars, that will fit in the relatively small amount of space available in a standard railway car stairwell, and at the same time will provide a relatively large amount of space to accommodate the wheelchair and its passenger.
Furthermore, the need exists for a novel wheelchair lift for railway cars and other vehicles that can be added to existing equipment without the need for substantial modification of the equipment.